Though the rocky third season of Veronica Mars, the television adventures of the tough, vengeful daughter of a California PI, was not as universally acclaimed as its predecessors, it set out about demonstrating the oft-spouted theory that even the weakest episodes of a great show are preferable to the best episodes of, oh, let's say, anything on CBS.

Of course, it helps that season three of Veronica features a healthy portion of the show at its best, alongside the weaker. In previous years, Veronica would be working on a single over-arching case throughout the season, even as each episode brought a new mystery-of-the-week. This format was dropped in season three in an effort to bring a new audience to the ratings-challenged show. While these 20 episodes lack the long build and unity of purpose afforded to previous story arcs, the experiments with format -- shorter arcs at first, and then "stand-alone" episodes which are nonetheless rich in both story and character development -- reveal Veronica Mars as a sturdy enterprise, entertainment value intact across structural changes.